CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cresco Labs (CSE:CL) (OTC:CRLBF) (“Cresco” or “the Company”), one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the United States, announced today that the Company served 3,145 people on New Year’s Day at its five Sunnyside* Dispensaries located in Lakeview, Elmwood Park, Champaign, Buffalo Grove and Rockford, Illinois. Sunnyside* also sold 9,258 cannabis products, including Cresco’s house of brands and items from other Illinois suppliers, with an average ticket price totaling $135.
Customers began to form lines outside Sunnyside* locations as early as 8 PM on New Year’s Eve, and lines wrapped around the buildings throughout the day as recreational customers showed their excitement to be part of this historic day. The dispensaries opened at 6 AM to immediately start serving recreational customers, with the first sale in the state of Illinois taking place shortly thereafter at Sunnyside* Lakeview. Jacqueline Ryan from Forest Park was the first customer to purchase adult-use cannabis, followed by siblings Elise and Aaron Swopes, two participants in Cresco’s Chicago incubator program, which is part of the Company’s SEED (Social Equity and Educational Development) initiative, and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who played a critical role in shaping the state’s cannabis legislation.
“We’re ecstatic for our Sunnyside* dispensaries to begin serving recreational customers on such a historic day that launches a new era of cannabis and the development of an industry that will bring greater justice, social equity and business ownership opportunities throughout the state,” said Charlie Bachtell, Cresco Labs CEO and Co-founder. “With 13 million residents and 100 million annual tourists, Illinois is predicted to be one of the largest recreational cannabis markets in the United States. Cresco is uniquely positioned in the supply-constrained state, with permission for the largest cultivation footprint at 630,000 square feet and ten retail dispensaries, including three in high traffic areas in the city of Chicago.”
Joe Caltabiano, Cresco Labs President and Co-founder, added, “We’re thrilled to be part of this historic day and to witness firsthand so much excitement from people on the first day of legal cannabis sales. Our dispensaries served thousands of customers on day one by educating new cannabis consumers, making product recommendations and making sure they had a seamless shopping experience. With five newly re-concepted Sunnyside* locations and an additional five dispensaries opening soon in high profile locations such as one next to Wrigley Field and two in Chicago’s downtown Central District, we expect to serve thousands more customers in response to strong demand. Our Sunnyside* concept is designed to move traffic efficiently, so despite the fact that long lines will likely continue in the first few days of adult-use legalization, we are positioned to ensure that each of our customers gets only the best possible service and the products they are looking for. Cresco is already the leader in Illinois, and we expect to be able to maintain this leadership position as the recreational cannabis market grows, contributing solidly to our overall revenue and our profitability.”
Media Press Kit:
- Sunnyside Lakeview Jan. 1 Adult-Use Cannabis First Sale in IL Photography:
- Sunnyside Lakeview Jan. 1 Adult-Use Cannabis First Sale in IL Video Footage:
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Cresco Labs—Cannabis Industry Broll:
- Web Quality - https://youtu.be/9Elk9i3nT_g
- Broadcast Quality - https://youtu.be/pYC0L7hKvrU
- Dropbox with File - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kwf28206hiv3a0f/AADqMVvdXzY1V0pV5dja-CO-a?dl=0
About Cresco Labs:
Cresco Labs is one of the largest vertically-integrated multi-state cannabis operators in the United States. Cresco is built to become the most important company in the cannabis industry by combining the most strategic geographic footprint with one of the leading distribution platforms in North America. Employing a consumer-packaged goods (“CPG”) approach to cannabis, Cresco’s house of brands is designed to meet the needs of all consumer segments and includes some of the most recognized and trusted national brands including Cresco, Remedi and Mindy’s, a line of edibles created by James Beard Award-winning chef Mindy Segal. Sunnyside*, Cresco’s national dispensary brand, is a wellness-focused retailer designed to build trust, education and convenience for both existing and new cannabis consumers. Recognizing that the cannabis industry is poised to become one of the leading job creators in the country, Cresco has launched the industry’s first national comprehensive Social Equity and Educational Development (SEED) initiative designed to ensure that all members of society have the skills, knowledge and opportunity to work in and own businesses in the cannabis industry. Learn more about Cresco Labs at www.crescolabs.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, ‘may,’ ‘will,’ ‘should,’ ‘could,’ ‘would,’ ‘expects,’ ‘plans,’ ‘anticipates,’ ‘believes,’ ‘estimates,’ ‘projects,’ ‘predicts,’ ‘potential’ or ‘continue’ or the negative of those forms or other comparable terms. The Company’s forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to those risks discussed under "Risk Factors" in the company’s CSE Listing Statement filed with SEDAR; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Because of these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the Company’s forward-looking statements. No assurances are given as to the future trading price or trading volumes of Cresco’s shares, nor as to the Company’s financial performance in future financial periods. The Company does not intend to update any of these factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the Company’s forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information, any future event or otherwise. Except as otherwise indicated, this press release speaks as of the date hereof. The distribution of this press release does not imply that there has been no change in the affairs of the Company after the date hereof or create any duty or commitment to update or supplement any information provided in this press release or otherwise.